Libya refuses to hand Saif Gaddafi to the ICC

The Libyan government refused to hand over Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague today.

The Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations, Ibrahim Omar Dabbashi, today said: “The Libyan authorities are keen to ensure a fair and impartial trial for Saif Gaddafi, like many other defendants. However, the security conditions that are currently taking place in Libya prompted the concern of the Libyan court and led to the decision to postpone the meetings so that it can directly consider what circumstances are appropriate for ensuring a fair trial in this case.”

Dabbashi made the statements during a speech he gave to the UN Security Council session on the last report of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court regarding the situation in Libya.

The Libyan government expressed its hopes that the ICC recognise the Libyan judiciary’s trial of Saif Gaddafi in addition to its mandate in the trial of Abdullah Senussi, the former intelligence chief under the late President Muammar Gaddafi.

ICC General Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda issued a report today renewing his order to the Libyan authorities to cooperate with the court, in particular to comply with the court order regarding the surrender of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi to The Hague.

Dabbashi urged the Security Council to consider the outstanding circumstances in Libya today and called on the ICC to deliberate on the trial procedures regarding former heads of state and high-ranking politicians with great care and sensitivity. He emphasised that the current situation in Libya cannot ensure that Gaddafi will be given a fair trial, without prejudice.

Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi was arrested on October 2, 2011, in Zintan, a town in the Libyan Desert. He was later transferred to a prison in the same city before he appeared in court for his first trial session in May 2013.